


Heat Mirage

by Michelle_A_Emerlind



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Explicit Language, First Kiss, M/M, Repairman!Daryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 22:56:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3358385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michelle_A_Emerlind/pseuds/Michelle_A_Emerlind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick has just moved into a new house and his air conditioner is broke. Luckily, there's a repairman with some great biceps to fix it. (Posted for Valentine's Day).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heat Mirage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skarlatha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skarlatha/gifts).



> So, I'm working on a longer fic which has Daryl as an air conditioner repairman and that has worked so well, it's now my AU head canon. So I figured I'd write a little short fic of how it would go down if Daryl came to fix Rick's unit. :D (Also, as a side note, assume that Rick is divorced).
> 
> Look for the longer fic to be posted sometime within the next week and I'll be posting an International Fanworks Day drabble as well!

Rick sat on the front steps of his new house at the end of a rather old and winding housing division and ran the cold can of Coke up and around his neck a second time. Of _course_ the air conditioning unit would pick the week he moved into the house to break and of _course_ it had to be the middle of August with temps well into the triple digits. Rick sighed and leaned further into the shade of his porch and waited for the repair guy to get there, wondering just how much he should tip him for speedy repair.

Luckily, Ace Air Repair--the first listing in the phone book thanks to their marketing department--arrived in a timely manner and as soon as the blue truck pulled into his driveway, Rick sighed a big breath of relief. He stood from the porch and walked forward, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Hey, there,” he said to the good old boy who hopped out of the truck in a worn pair of gray pants and a sleeveless shirt.

“Hey,” the guy said and offered his hand, “Daryl. Ace Air. You got a finicky unit?”

Rick took his hand and shook it. “Rick Grimes. Yeah. Just moved in, too. Called the old owner and they said it’d been on the fritz before. Something about the fan motor? Anyway, your receptionist said you could get it done today?”

Daryl nodded and walked to the back of his truck to grab a box of tools. “Try, anyway.”

“You ever come out here to fix it before?” Rick asked and Daryl shook his head.

“Nah,” he said and shrugged, “no record of us being to the address. Might be Landon’s Air and Heat did it before. Could be why it’s a piece of shit. Anyway, I’ll go look at it.” He motioned to the back and walked off around the house and Rick blinked at the man’s utter honesty.

***

Rick continued to sit on the porch because the house was just roasting in the heat of the day. He drank the Coke he had brought out and then went into the house for a second one, took a third can and went out back to offer it to Daryl. Daryl took it with a nod of gratitude and Rick watched as he put the wrench in his mouth to free his hand to pop the tab. Something about the guy was just...alluring. Rick blinked and felt his face heat up and it wasn’t just from the Georgia sun this time. He watched the man’s arm muscles as they moved the can to his lips, took a large drink and then sat it down next to the unit. Daryl knelt beside the back of the unit and went back to what he was doing and Rick couldn’t help but notice that he had a _rocking_ ass.

Rick swallowed hard, his eyes glued to Daryl’s backside as Daryl stuck his head up next to the unit and began banging and cussing. Rick watched his ass bob as he rocked back on his heels and then promptly made an excuse to go inside before he had to explain away the tent beginning to grow in his pants.

***

Half an hour later, Rick was calm enough to check in on Daryl again and ask him if he needed anything. Daryl shrugged and then wiped at his forehead with a red rag before putting it in his back pocket. “Unit’s a piece of horseshit,” he said to Rick and took a good kick to the side of it for emphasis. “Builder must’a been on a budget. Your fan’s fucked.”

“Anything you can do about it?” Rick asked and leaned in his doorway.

“Jerry Rig it,” Daryl said and shrugged. “Could get it working for a week or two. I’d suggest you buy a new fan and not the whole unit, unless you’re just rollin’ in it and want to burn some money.” He scratched his head. “Could offer to order the part for you, but it’d be twice as much if you went through us. Figure you should get it on discount down at the tractor supply place and just call us to come out and replace it. Cost you just labor and the drive time.”

Rick smiled at the offer to get him the cheapest deal, but shrugged. “I wouldn’t even know what to get.”

Daryl snorted. “I’ll write it down for you,” he said and shrugged. “Ain’t hard.”

“You always this nice to your customers?” Rick said and unconsciously slid into his flirting position, one shoulder leaning in the doorway and the opposite hip stuck out, chest puffed just a little and eyes on fire with sex.

Daryl looked up at him and licked his lips. “Figure the guy you bought the house from screwed you over.” He shrugged. “Not all of us in town are like that.”

“And you’d come fix it for me?” Rick said and thought about watching Daryl with those arms again. And then he thought about those arms doing other things--those arms around his back or, _fuck_ , those arms holding his goddamn _hips_. Rick cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly.

“Yeah,” Daryl said and took a step toward Rick and the doorway. “I’d fix your unit.”

Rick widened his eyes and shifted just the tiniest bit toward Daryl. “Hmm,” Rick said and made a point to look at Daryl’s biceps. “Could be worth it.”

Daryl grinned. “Usually get this treatment from housewives,” he said and Rick blushed beet red.

“Um…” he sputtered and ducked his head away. “Sorry. Very unprof--”

“Rather like it,” Daryl said and then stepped up closer, putting his hands in his pants pockets. “Come from somethin’ like you.”

Rick looked up at him and grinned slowly. “Could fix my unit, you said.”

Daryl stepped up right next to him and Rick’s heart beat wild and free in his ribcage. “Could,” Daryl said and then leaned forward, tilting his lips and putting his mouth just that last crazy fucking inch away from Rick’s. “Ifin you want, Mr. Grimes.”

“Well, why not?” Rick said and he swallowed and pushed himself off the doorway, tilting his own head until their noses slid together and then their mouths connected like the fire of the afternoon sun beating down on them.

Daryl hummed deep in his throat and pressed forward, catching Rick’s lip between his teeth and sucking on it and Rick took in a sharp breath. He bent his body forward to Daryl’s, knowing that Daryl would feel what was jutting out and Daryl moved his hands to put them on Rick’s waist and drove his tongue into Rick’s mouth like he was in a drag race and needed to win.

Rick’s knees threatened to buckle, which was just about when Daryl pulled away, a firm grin on his face. “I’ll bang at your unit,” Daryl said, “get it worked up nicely. Then come back tomorrow and put in the new fan. And _then_ …” Daryl let his mouth curve into the most sinful and dirtiest grin Rick had _ever_ seen. “You can _tip_ me.”


End file.
